40 & Under List - Canada

Alberta
Ryan Phillips advises on complex commercial and appellate disputes involving energy, infrastructure, and public law issues. He recently advised in Imperial Oil Limited et al v Inter Pipeline Polaris Inc., a commercial litigation matter arising from a pipeline rupture and hydrocarbon release caused by a landslide. The dispute involved a force majeure declaration, breach of contract and negligence allegations, and claims initially valued at approximately C$150 million before being narrowed to approximately C$28 million. Phillips also served as counsel in Auer v Auer, a Supreme Court of Canada matter addressing the standard of review applied to executive-made regulations and delegated decision-making. Filippo Titi maintains a broad litigation practice spanning civil and commercial disputes, employment matters, professional negligence claims, and administrative and constitutional law.

Jennie Buchanan advises on sophisticated disputes in the natural resources sector, where commercial, administrative, and public law considerations overlap. Recent work includes representing Canadian Natural Resources Limited in a matter that reflects the complexity of energy-sector disputes. Alixandra Stoicheff is involved in disputes at the intersection of commercial litigation, environmental, regulatory, and Indigenous law issues. Her recent work includes the Whitecap Resources matter, which highlights the firm’s depth in energy-sector litigation. Jack Maslen adds an insolvency and restructuring dimension to the firm’s litigation practice. He recently acted for Auto Canada Capital Motors GP Inc. in a fraud and receivership dispute involving the alleged theft or conversion of more than 100 vehicles from an Edmonton dealership.

British Columbia
Kaitlyn Meyer acts on commercial litigation involving alleged misrepresentation, fraud, and breach of contract. She serves as co-lead counsel in Liang v Barnard, an ongoing dispute connected to investments in an energy drink company and related farming business. The team successfully resisted a jurisdictional challenge by two defendants, with the BC Supreme Court finding that Alberta was not a clearly more appropriate forum and declining to order security for costs.

Erica Miller represents clients in significant commercial disputes involving injunctive relief and cross-border enforcement issues. She recently played an important role representing defendants Richard Fortin, Robert Enslen, Cross Border Vehicle Services Inc. and Cross border Vehicle Sales Ltd. in a matter examining the availability and scope of Mareva injunctions. The plaintiff sought to enforce a $4.2 million U.S. judgment obtained in Washington state, and the British Columbia court allowed the injunction to continue while leaving open the possibility of narrowing its scope.

Thomas Clifford acts for plaintiffs in commercial litigation involving fraud, fiduciary duties, and conversion claims. He represents Bruush Oral Care Inc. in a matter concerning allegations that the company’s former founder, CEO, and director misappropriated approximately $22 million following Bruush’s listing on the NASDAQ Capital Market. Clifford is advancing claims for fraud, theft, breach of fiduciary duty, and conversion, while also pursuing punitive and aggravated damages.

Aubin Calvert handles administrative and appellate matters involving complex statutory issues. She worked on Altman v. Faculty Association of Simon Fraser University, a matter brought by a group of SFU faculty members challenging the validity of two anti-Israel resolutions passed by the faculty association under the Societies Act. Julia Roos advises on class proceedings involving consumer protection and competition issues. She was part of the team advising on Krishnan v. Jamieson Laboratories Ltd. and others, a certified Canada-wide class proceeding alleging that Jamieson sold a natural health product that was not as advertised. The claims include negligent misrepresentation, unjust enrichment, breaches of provincial consumer protection statutes and claims under the federal Competition Act. Monica Evans works on shareholder litigation involving oppression and derivative proceedings. She advised on the Eastern Platinum Ltd derivative/oppression proceedings, a series of shareholder proceedings that have resulted in multiple hearings before the BC Supreme Court and Court of Appeal since 2019.Rebecca Robbacts on constitutional and appellate matters involving public-sector clients. She was involved in Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique v. British Columbia, where the firm’s provincial government clients were largely successful following a 117-day trial. Nicole Gilewicz maintains a broad disputes practice, advising and representing clients in civil, criminal, administrative, and regulatory proceedings. She is particularly noted for handling complex matters that span multiple areas of law and require coordinated strategic advice across overlapping proceedings.

Aneka Jiwaji advises on commercial disputes involving statutory lien rights and contractual arrangements. She recently helped secure a ruling in 1446649 BC Ltd. v 1443120 BC Ltd, 2025 BCSC 1707, one of the first reported BC Supreme Court decisions interpreting British Columbia’s new Commercial Liens Act. The Court held that no commercial lien arose over a portable building placed on land because the statutory requirements were not met, confirming that lien rights are strictly statutory and cannot be inferred from possession or installation alone.

Camille Chisholm focuses on disputes tied to energy infrastructure and commercial rights. She led Lawson Lundell’s representation of Canadian Natural Resources Limited in a dispute concerning the interpretation of historic right of way agreements linked to oil and gas infrastructure. The matter raised issues around the scope of CNRL’s access and operational rights, with the team acting to protect the client’s ability to maintain and use critical energy assets.

Erin Reimer acts on class proceedings involving Indigenous communities and public law issues. She serves as co-lead counsel for the Class Representatives in Chief David Crate on behalf of Fisher River Cree Nation et al. v. Canada (Attorney General), a Federal Court class action addressing the alleged community-wide impact of Canada’s discriminatory conduct in the provision of child and family welfare services for Indigenous children and families. The matter was certified by the Federal Court in March 2025 following a contested certification hearing.

Kelly Ann Maw represents clients in commercial disputes involving real estate transactions and breach of contract claims. She represented Epix in a claim arising from its $22 million purchase of a commercial property, where the client sought the return of its $1.1 million deposit along with general damages. Epix was awarded the entirety of the deposit and all damages claimed, and the counterclaim against it was dismissed in full. Kyle Thompsonserves as co-lead defense counsel in securities enforcement matters. He represents Yazan Al Homsi in the BC Securities Commission’s largest market manipulation case, involving allegations that respondents carried out three pump-and-dump schemes that inflated the share prices of three public companies and generated approximately $46 million in illicit proceeds.

Mollie Deyongworks on large-scale construction and infrastructure disputes involving complex delay and damages issues. She worked on the Stouffville RER Stations matter, an arbitration arising from the construction of several GO transit stations and a rail corridor grade separation tied to Ontario’s Regional Express Rail project. The dispute involved delay and related damages claims exceeding CAD110 million, along with a COVID-related delay and disruption claim. Matthew Milne handles construction disputes with significant contractual and appellate issues. He served as co-lead on the Graham Infrastructure matter, a payment dispute that proceeded to a six-week trial. The case is currently on appeal, with any decision likely to provide appellate commentary on notice provisions under the standard form L&M Bond.

Ontario
Corey Groper focuses on complex commercial disputes involving transportation and aviation issues. He acted as co-lead in Brink’s, Incorporated et al. v. Air Canada, a significant aviation-related dispute arising from the theft of high-value cargo after its arrival at Toronto Pearson Airport. The case centered on whether Air Canada could limit its liability under the Montreal Convention, an issue identified as important to aviation law given the limited precedent on carrier liability caps.

Michael Currie advises on governance disputes involving Indigenous organizations and political leadership. He aided the Manitoba Métis Federation and its president in a dispute involving the Métis National Council. Following a 10-week trial, the court dismissed the claims in their entirety, issuing a decision regarded as a leading Ontario authority on the duties of Indigenous political leadership. Zain Naqi acts on commercial disputes in the telecommunications sector. He represented Rogers Communications Inc. in a contractual dispute with Corus Entertainment Inc. concerning the distribution of television channels. The court upheld Rogers’ interpretation of its contractual rights and denied the requested injunctive relief, in a matter that attracted attention within the Canadian telecommunications sector. Danielle Glatt handles disputes involving public authority liability and regulatory decision-making. She helped obtain a $555 million recovery for Quadrangle Group LLC in a negligence and negligent misrepresentation action against the federal government. The ruling examined the consequences of government interference with spectrum license transfers and provides guidance on the limits of regulatory decision-making and public authority liability. Brad Vermeersch works on competition and telecommunications disputes involving advertising practices. He contributed to Rogers Communications Inc.’s defense in a competition law matter concerning allegations of misleading advertising tied to unlimited wireless data plans. The dispute carries implications for telecommunications providers and advertising practices in Canada.

Ryan Lapensee acts on professional liability and commercial disputes involving complex duties of care. He contributed to Polley Faith’s representation of Zurich Insurance Company Ltd. in its approximately $500 million auditor liability claim against Deloitte LLP and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. The case has the potential to clarify auditor liability and whether a duty of care may exist between auditors and a surety without a contractual relationship. Brookelyn Kirkham works on class actions involving healthcare and consent issues. She took the lead in representing nurse Nicole Ruest in Jayde Scott v. Regional Health Authority B and Nicole Ruest, a class action arising from allegations involving the administration of a labor-inducing drug without patients’ knowledge or consent. The matter presents issues in New Brunswick class action law and is expected to help shape precedent in a jurisdiction with limited class action jurisprudence.

James Little represents clients in construction and infrastructure disputes involving complex liability and damages claims. He represented Milestone Environmental Contracting and Fraser River Pile & Dredge in an action against the Federal Crown arising from the Hamilton Harbour cleanup project. The matter involves claims of negligent misrepresentation and breach of the duty of good faith. Nicholas Reynoldsworks on construction disputes involving public infrastructure and damages issues. He played a supporting role representing AWC Water Solutions in Neskantaga First Nation’s action arising from the design and construction of a water treatment plant. The matter involves questions of liability and damages tied to one of Ontario’s longest-standing boil water advisories, with the plaintiff alleging damages of at least $20 million. Cheryl Labirisadvises clients on complex construction and infrastructure disputes across the construction industry. Jesse Gardner represents clients in significant construction and infrastructure matters, advising on disputes that involve complex project, contractual, and industry-specific issues.

Ryann Atkins focuses on complex class actions and competition disputes. She contributed to the defense of a proposed$5 billion class action alleging a long-running conspiracy within Canada’s generic pharmaceutical industry to inflate prices and allocate markets. The matter involved complex competition issues, extensive expert evidence, and claims affecting consumers across the country. Her work helped secure a successful outcome, with the plaintiff agreeing to dismiss the claims against her clients without any settlement payment.

Quebec
Antoine Brylowski works on public inquiries involving complex governance and public-sector technology issues. He contributed to the representation of the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec in a public inquiry examining the modernization of the agency’s information systems. The matter involved extensive hearings, witness examinations, and governance issues with implications for future public sector technology projects. Gabriel Querry handles economic crime and regulatory matters involving sensitive institutional issues. He represents the Fédération des caisses Desjardins du Québec in the “Projet Portier” proceedings arising from the Desjardins data leak. His work has focused on protecting privileged and sensitive information while helping the institution navigate criminal and regulatory processes. Annie Bourgeois acts on litigation involving academic institutions and governance issues. She served as co-lead for McGill University in litigation concerning donor involvement in the appointment of a Chair in German History. The case raises questions surrounding academic freedom, institutional autonomy, and the governance of endowed academic positions.

Nicolas Roche represents clients in energy disputes involving regulatory authority and electricity infrastructure. He acted for Hydro-Québec in a high-profile dispute concerning electricity rates for artificial intelligence data centers. The case examines the authority of the Régie de l’énergieto implement measures aimed at freeing unused grid capacity and carries implications for Quebec’s energy strategy amid increasing demand from AI-driven infrastructure. Julien Archambault handles construction and insolvency-related litigation involving contractual risk allocation. He represented Construction Sorel Inc. in litigation arising from the collapse of the RCV project. The dispute raises insolvency and contractual issues, including the interpretation of pay-when-paid clauses and the allocation of risk following a major construction bankruptcy, with financial implications for the client. Marie-Noël Rochon advises clients on complex regulatory and compliance matters, with particular strength in securities and financial services regulation. She is recognized for guiding organizations through intricate legal and ethical challenges in highly regulated environments.

Glynnis Hawe acts on Charter and public law matters involving Indigenous rights. She acted as co-lead counsel representing the Congress of Aboriginal Peoples in a Charter challenge concerning the exclusion of non-status Indians from post-secondary education benefits funded by Indigenous Services Canada. The matter raises Indigenous rights and public law issues. Paul Davisworks on class actions involving employment, compensation, and pension issues. He serves as co-lead acting for the proposed plaintiffs in Nathalie Deacon and Gail Ouellette v. Bank of Nova Scotia, a class action alleging failures to pay vacation and statutory holiday pay under the Canada Labor Code, as well as pension entitlement miscalculations for retirees. The case involves employment and compensation issues affecting current and former employees.